Dutch government attempts to ban sale of marijuana to tourists

The new conservative Dutch government wants to force the country's marijuana
cafés to become "members only" clubs, in a move that would
effectively block foreigners from buying the drug.

Marijuana has been sold openly in designated cafés in the Netherlands for decadesPhoto: REUTERS

7:36PM GMT 18 Nov 2010

If the idea ever becomes reality – it would be legally complicated and politically divisive – it would be the latest of the country's liberal policies to be scrapped or curtailed as the Dutch rethink the limits of their famed tolerance.

While marijuana is technically illegal in the Netherlands, it has been sold openly in designated cafés for decades, and police make no arrests for possession of small amounts.

Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten said that in the future, only residents of Dutch cities will be allowed to purchase cannabis. "Not tourists. We don't like that," he said on state television in remarks broadcast on Wednesday.

His spokesman Wim van der Weegen said on Thursday Mr Opstelten intended to "give a political signal." He said details of the plan are still being worked out and it will be presented to parliament sometime next year.

"This Cabinet wants to bring marijuana cafés back to what they were once intended to be: for people who live in the immediate area, not large-scale criminal trade and not tourism," he said.